[Watch] Malaysians Keep Walking The Causeway, A Sign Was Not Going To Stop Them

Despite new “no walking” signs on the Johor-Singapore Causeway, Malaysian workers continue crossing on foot, saying long bus queues and unreliable shuttle services make walking the faster, more practical option.

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The signs went up, but the walking did not stop.

Malaysian workers continue to cross the Johor-Singapore Causeway on foot, despite new notices prohibiting pedestrians, citing long bus queues, limited transport options, and the simple logic that their own two legs are faster.

The practice is not new.

Commuters have been walking the roughly one-kilometre stretch for decades, weaving between vehicles in conditions that authorities on both sides have repeatedly flagged as dangerous.

A recent collision between a pedestrian and a motorcycle on the Causeway sharpened those concerns and prompted the installation of “no walking” signs — but for many commuters, the risk of missing work still outweighs the risk of the road.

“The Bus Queue Can Take Over an Hour”

For daily crossers, the calculation is straightforward.

The shuttle bus service connecting the two checkpoints has long been criticised for being slow and unreliable during peak hours, particularly in the mornings when tens of thousands of Malaysian workers make their way into Singapore.

“The fact is that walking is much faster and easier,” one commenter wrote on social media.

Even the queue for the bus is much longer.

Others echoed the same point — that the decision to walk is not about saving the bus fare, but about saving time in a commute that already stretches the limits of the working day.

A Solution the Public Has Been Asking For — For Years

What is worrying about the public response is not the frustration, but its consistency — commuters, former walkers and casual observers have converged on the same answer: build a proper sheltered walkway along the Causeway.

The suggestion is not new; a covered pedestrian path once existed at the old Johor Bahru checkpoint before it was removed during an upgrade, and proposals to build a replacement have surfaced periodically since.

“So many years. They should have built a proper sheltered path for them,” one user wrote — a sentiment echoed widely, with another adding: “It does not cost much but means a lot.”

The Causeway is jointly managed by Malaysia and Singapore, meaning any permanent pedestrian infrastructure would require coordination between both governments.

Neither side has announced concrete plans for a dedicated walking path.

In the meantime, the signs remain, and so do the walkers.